Caesars Atlantic City Hit in $181K Heist. Two thieves robbed at gunpoint

Things are not great right now in Atlantic City. Casinos are closing, profits are falling and profits are drying up month after month. It is a right time when resorts are carefully monitoring every buck that is available in and out of their balance publications. Simply speaking, it’s about the time that is worst possible for a six-figure sum to go lacking in one associated with city’s casinos.
According to police, two masked thieves walked out of Caesars Atlantic City with an increase of than $180,000 on Monday after a raid that is smash-and-grab the casino. The robbery apparently took place on Monday morning, though police did not immediately release information that is much the important points of the crime. Based on United States Of America Today, trooper Alina Spies said that police were investigating the matter, but they did not want aussie-pokies.club to supply any information that might hinder the investigation that was underway.
Early Morning Robbery
Neighborhood media, citing police sources, said that the robbery included two suspects who entered Caesars Atlantic City around 6 am. At least one of them had a gun and pulled it before stealing two plastic boxes that contained the stolen cash. They then fled the scene in car at approximately 6:20 am, according up to a police bulletin.
The situation is being investigated by the New Jersey State Police Gaming Bureau, which suggests that the robbery happened inside the casino. If the crime had taken place in a hotel or other area that is public it would be customary for city police to manage the matter.
While $181,000 may possibly not be much in the grand scheme of things for a major casino (Caesars brought in $28.8 million in income during June alone), the theft comes at the worst possible time for an Atlantic City venue. The town has been struggling seemingly on all fronts, and that’s mostly driven by struggling casino properties. Revenues at the city’s casinos have been falling for a long time, and also as many as four casinos could end up closing throughout the span of 2013.
August one of those casinos, the Showboat, is operated by Caesars and is scheduled to close at the end of. Others include the Atlantic Club, which shut in January, the Trump Plaza, which is scheduled for closure later this year, while the Revel, which can be currently in bankruptcy court and may close if your customer isn’t discovered.
Caesars Atlantic City occupies a big, high-rise building that uses up a block between your famous boardwalk that runs along the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Avenue between Arkansas and Missouri avenues. It’s ambiguous the way the perpetrators entered or exited the building.
Casino Heists Not Unheard Of
While casino security is practically second-to-none, that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible for criminals to sometimes pull a heist. The schemes, but, are rarely as complex as something you’d see in Ocean’s 11.
For instance, this season, a gunman wearing a bike helmet dashed into the Bellagio in the Las vegas, nevada Strip. He proceeded to take potato chips from a craps table while brandishing a handgun, fleeing on his motorcycle. The thief, Anthony Carleo, was finally caught months later on and ended up being sentenced to prison.
Atlantic City Casino Struggles Hurting Regional Economy
Atlantic City’s beaches could help attract tourists who aren’t interested in gambling. (Image: ACHotelExperts.com)
As Atlantic City watches casinos close left and right, officials admit that the populous town may have to get techniques to diversify as gambling revenues continue to tumble. They also acknowledge that this isn’t going to be a transition that is easy the city has gotten used to relying on the gaming industry, and which will be a hard habit to break. But just what might not be immediately obvious is just how much this shift in priorities could hurt the Jersey that is entire shore.
Atlantic City’s casinos have very long brought tourists to the location, gamblers and others who can then spend time at other venues along the shore. But it’s more than that: according to a 2008 study by Rutgers University, some 100,000 jobs in New Jersey were tied to the gaming industry in one way or another. That accounts for about two percent of this state’s total workforce.
‘When Atlantic City suffers, the area that is entire,’ said David Breeden, administrator for town of Barnegat.
Several Casinos Closing This Year
Up to four Atlantic City casinos that were operating in 2013 may be closed by the end of this season. The Atlantic Club closed in January, while the Showboat and the Trump Plaza are both expected to close in the next months that are few. The Revel may possibly also close this if a buyer can’t be found year.
With casino profits under pressure from rivals in neighboring states (particularly Pennsylvania, which recently surpassed New Jersey in terms of gaming revenues), Atlantic City is now attempting to find other methods to attract site visitors outside of slot machines and table games. That does not mean abandoning the casinos completely, but instead giving visitors more reason to prevent by a city that is seemingly regarding the decline.
That could mean more tourist attractions for families, bringing larger conventions to the city, and making certain amenities is there for folks who are only casual gamblers. But that’s planning to take some right time to perfect, and also the transition is anticipated to be rough.
‘It’s coming at a bad time,’ said Stafford Mayor John Spodofora. ‘There are not many corporations that are big hire people down here. The gambling enterprises are a boon for folks down here.’
A transition that is painful
Even if Atlantic City does have the ability to rebound, it’s unclear as it was in its gaming heyday whether it will ever be the same. New companies may create jobs, but there’s no guarantee that they’re going to function as the same sorts of high-paying opportunities afforded by the casinos.
‘We will endure the pain sensation that comes with transitioning from an economy extremely reliant for a single industry,’ said Atlantic City mayor Don Guardian.
Regarding the bright side, the town does still draw about 27 million site visitors each 12 months, generally there’s certainly plenty of disposable income to go around if the city will get the right way to capture it. There are also plenty of resources that may help Atlantic City make such a transition: there’s still the boardwalk that is world-famous therefore the beaches are still a fantastic draw during the summers.
But while attempting to squeeze more out of tourism will help, some certainly professionals believe Atlantic City should look for other possibilities for development too.
‘I’m all for trying to increase the size associated with the pie that is non-gaming although not just hospitality and tourism,’ Deborah M. Figart, teacher of training and economics at the Richard Stockton university of brand New Jersey, told The Star-Ledger. ‘Cities that have diverse economies, that are not a one- or town that is two-industry those towns and cities have a tendency to do very well and prosper even yet in times of recession.’
Nevada Casinos Could Ban Smoking in Near Future
More casino areas ‘re going smoke-free, and a ban that is total Nevada casinos could be coming soon. (Image: Mel Evans/AP)
The public image of the casino floor was one of smoke-filled tables and a cloudy haze throughout the halls in the old days of gambling. Over the years, that vision has mainly changed: enter any major casino, and there are likely to be large swaths of smoke-free areas for patrons who does choose a slightly more breathable gambling experience. Still, at the very least in Nevada, there has still been room for smokers and non-smokers alike.
But according to some analysts, that might be changing soon. Many states with casino gambling have previously outlawed smoking in casinos, and Macau is currently about to implement a ban later this year. That and other signs have led Deutsche Bank gaming analyst Andrew Zarnett to predict that a cigarette smoking ban could come to Nevada within the next two years.
Zarnett cited a combination of the move by Macau, which may now be a business trendsetter, as well as the study that is continued of risks of second-hand smoking as factors leading him to think that this kind of ban might be coming sooner in the place of later.
Smoking Ban Could Be Costly
But he additionally warned that such a ban could price Nevada casinos a complete lot of money. He remarked that other states have observed revenue that is significant after passing such laws within the past: Delaware’s casino profits fell 11.3 % after a 2002 ban, while Illinois saw a 20.9 percent drop after their very own 2007 ban. He predicted that Nevada could see perhaps a 7.5 percent decline if it were to complete exactly the same.
That might mean that such a ban would not be complete, and would nevertheless give smokers a place where they are able to sneak in a few puffs that are good. In Macau, cigarette smoking would nevertheless be permitted in the high-end areas where VIP gamblers congregate, and you will see smoking that is special with segregated ventilation systems. The latter is obviously the solution now set up in Las Vegas’ international airport, McCarran, where smokers sit inside large lucite-surrounded free-standing ‘rooms’ that are completely closed off from the airport that is main, where smoking is forbidden.
The Macau ban goes into effect on October 6, simply following the Golden Week holiday ends. Any cigarette smoking areas that are built in casinos must account for not even half of this gaming that is overall in each venue.
No Immediate Push for a Ban
According to officials in Nevada, there’s no push that is immediate ban smoking in casinos anywhere in the state, and there has been no public groundswell to do so. But even if it had been to take place, it might probably not be the shock to the device it sounds like it could possibly be. In 2006, Nevada voters banned smoking in all public places other than casino floors. And some casino areas are usually smoke-free, including numerous poker rooms and activities books. The whole planet group of Poker ended up being played in a smoke-free environment this year.
And while those projections of major losses may be scary, not everyone agrees that smoking bans are directly associated to casino profits.
‘Bad weather, fuel prices, market saturation, competition, casino debt, the recession that began in 2008 that severely impacted all gaming profits, including Vegas, are the other cards missing using this deck,’ stated Stephanie Steinberg, chairwoman of Smoke-Free Gaming of America. ‘Smoking bans are not the cause of income declines, rather, it is poor business preparation.’
And even if the gambling enterprises aren’t about to put a ban into place right away, Steinberg agrees so it shall come eventually.
‘Casino smoking bans are everywhere and inevitable,’ she said. ‘Nevada is next and the video gaming industry understands it.’
